Notes / Commercial Description:
Premiére marks the grand opening of The Bruery Provisions in Old Towne Orange. A barrel aged strong golden ale, its a great introduction to our new location. Spicy with flavors of honey, caramel, light tropical fruits and bourbon. A beer that will surely mature beautifully with age.

User Reviews

Bottle pour at the Bruery Reserve Society initiation party at The Phoenix Club in Anaheim, CA.

Pours a murky light orange with an off-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grain and sour fruits (especially cranberry). Taste is of grain, fruits, vanilla, and wood. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with some nice aromas and flavors. I really don't get any distinct bourbon aromas or flavors however.

Appearance: Premiére has a golden, somewhat hazy body. The frothy white head retains well, though the beer isn't as highly carbonated as some Belgian golden ales.

Smell: Estery and lightly phenolic Belgian yeast shines through above all else; there are notes of green apple, pear, a bit of white pepper and clove. Oak and bourbon are evident but understated, lending caramel sweetness and a touch of vanilla. This is rich, but not as over the top as I was expecting.

Taste & mouthfeel: Pleasantly fruity on the tongue, pear and apple flavors come through nicely along with a faint spiciness. Restrained caramel and vanilla, floral undertones, bready pale malt. Very balanced, the barrel is complementary rather than dominant. Carbonation is moderate, perhaps low for the style, though it works fine for this beer. The finish is semi-dry, hinting at oak. Alcohol is barely noticed, making this a little too easy to drink for the ABV.

This really exceeded my expectations. The bourbon barrel doesn't destroy the subtleties of the base beer, which was my concern when Premiére was first announced. The only thing I can think to compare it to is Curieux, but this beer is far superior.

Thanks to drabmuh for opening this bottle recently. Served in a snifter.

Pours a golden color with a nice single-finger white head that fades down somewhat quickly and leaves a bit of a cap and a white collar around the edges of the glass. The nose brings a fair amount of bourbon and not too much else besides that. I get a mild oak character and maybe some yeast if I try real hard to identify something else. The flavor is light bourbon with a bit of oak and a mild grainy presence. Slightly sweet. Mouthfeel is medium with a bit of booze. Not my favorite beer that Patrick and crew have put out, though I'm curious to see how this ages.

i had been holding this one for a while and was finally able to crack it open last night. served chilled into a chalice an allowed to warm up through the day.

aroma is very interesting as it is dominated by fresh juicy citrus at first, orange, tangerine, pineapple and loads of nice fruits really push through from the very start, nicely done i have to say. warming though brings a ton of oak out, light spices and hints of nutmeg? there is something there tugging on me. this is shadowed exactly in the flavor and works very, very well. huge flavor here as the citrus explodes and the oak an spices add a level to it that works so well that i was shocked. usually when you get this many things going on it can get tricky but this was sublime, perfect notes of oak and citrus play off each other so well, with pears and apples bring up the back end flawlessly. really just a great bear, not much else can be said.

overall one of the best i have seen them put out in the non stout styles. i could drink this all day as the 10 percent is no where to be found. great job patrick.

A: The pour is a hazy golden-orange color with a thin layer of white foam.

S: Not exactly what I was expecting from this beer. Very strong sweet orange notes and some other citrus peel notes. Some vanilla and oak along with the usual spice esters and alcohol.

T: Quite sweet with lots of pale malts and light candi sugar to start this one off. Lots of sweet citrus, spice esters, vanilla, and phenolics. The oak/barrel is not super present but does provide some additional spiciness.

M: The body is medium with a low-medium level of carbonation.

D: I was surprised by how little the spirit flavor came through. But, the beer itself was pretty good. I was expecting a more malt forward beer with less citrus, but I did enjoy it.

Thanks to t0rin0 for this one. Seems to be somewhat polarizing. Served in a taster glass at yesterday's Flossmoor release.

A - Pours with a quick-dissolving white foam that settles to a thin ring. Transparent pale golden body, and minimal lace.

S - Bourbon barrel flavors - oak and vanilla. Some fusel alcohol and bourbon aroma as well. Surprisingly understated after some of the other beers we had, although it gets better as it warms up. There's some nebulous sugar and fruit in the periphery.

T - Tastes like the description on the bottle. A Belgian-style golden ale aged in bourbon barrels - vanilla, oak, and alcohol from the latter, and some sweet malt and spicy esters from the former. Surprisingly bland.

This is a cool beer. Its yellow and light with mild haze and nice white thin head that leaves some lacing on the glass. Carbonation moderate. Looks good.

Aroma is like a belgian ale with a nice citrus nose to it. Smells awesome, very awesome.

Beer is light and bright, 10%?!?!? I doubt it, this is about the easiest drinking beer I've ever had. Its not hot, overly sweet, or too dry. Its perfectly balanced. Overall its a great sipping beer, I could drink a lot of this all day.

Poured a murky pale golden yellow with slight orangish highlights that had a half finger of head and left a little lacing sticking to the glass. The nose was pretty nice consisting of belgian yeast character upfront alongside slight citrus, bourbon, vanilla, and fruity aromas that I cannot pin point out exactly what they are. The flavor was above average for a belgian strong pale which had apple apricot fruits, belgian yeast of course, some citrus, and subtle bourbon vanilla notes that were not overpowering the overall taste and making it hard to drink. The brew was medium in body with a good amount of carbonation which had a sweet, fruity, and citrusy finish. It drank great considering the ABV and had me coming back for seconds. Really a solid BSPA and definitely worth seeking out.

Thanks to Halcyondays for the sample from the 750 ml bottle. On to the beer

This is a golden colored beer with a good thickish head and good retention. For a barrel aged beer, this is more mild in character, both aroma and flavor. It most reminds me off apple butter and brandy with a little touch of toasted oak. The mouthfeel doesn't dissapoint, it is very easy going and the alcohol is hidden very well. Definately more of a "subtle" big beer than one that blows you up in the face.

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is full of lemons and oranges with some wheat and herbal notes. The flavor is similar with a few added additions.

The main flavor component is made up of wheat and grassy hops notes. I also get some nice lemon and orange citrus notes as well as some candy sugar. One of the best aspects of the flavor is the bourbon notes from the barrel aging. I also get a little bit of maple and vanilla from the barrel aging.

Sampled at Redlight Redlight; January 2011
This pours from the bottle with a dirty blond color and a frothy, white colored head. The beer is quite fruity smelling with notes of lime. Other notes of funky, earthy character, a light musty Brettanomyces like character, some oak tannins and a fresh woody plank character are joined by some rip cheese like aromatics.

The beer tastes lightly sweet and quite fruity tasting up front. There is a touch of coconut and some vanillin like notes that speak to the oak presence and some alcohol heat is also accentuated by the spicy oak character. The fruit flavors make me think of pear and green apple notes though this beer does not have tartness to it. There is a sharp astringency and a fresh plank wood character that lingers on the palate as well as some Bourbon'esque heat in the finish. This is not nearly as Bourbon influenced as I had expected; it is really more virgin-oak flavored than Bourbon like to me. This has a good complexity to it in the end, but it somehow seems to be lacking in some dimensions; still it is quite enjoyable.

Pours a hazy golden orange with a foamy thin white head that quickly fades to a ring and light lacing. Very fruity aroma, with mild citrus and strong ripe green fruits and apple. Bourbon and vanilla from the oak also blend nicely with the sweetness of the fruits. Flavor is dominated by mildly spice ripe fruits, pear and apple, less citrus than the nose. Bourbon is present throughout and is well balanced with a slightly hot finish. Very soft and smooth body with light carbonation. This was an interesting Belgian pale but the barrel aging was a little too much for me diminishing my enjoyment.

I've had this a few times in chaotic settings so I failed to review it. Poured into a Bruery snifter.

A: Yellowish orange, but more yellow than orange, with a big fizzy white head that recedes to bit white sempiternal bubbles. Little lacing.

S: Fruitier than a typical Belgian Strong Pale Ale, with notes of granny smith apples, honey, pears, and Chardonnay grapes. Barrels impart a strong bourbon presence that melds very well with the fruit notes, and there's ample vanilla. Oak and phenols are light. There's a slight candied sugar sweetness to the bready malt. This reminds me a hell of a lot of Splinter Gold. Damn similar. Fantastic aroma.

T: Boozy apple with notes of Chardonnay, honey, and pear accompany a Belgian candied sugar bready malt base. Bourbon is more restrained in the flavor than it was in the aroma, but it's still perceptible, and there are faint floral notes. Oak dries out the slightly boozy bourbon finish a bit.

All kinds of fruity ester feels from the yeast, apple, banana, pear, green grape, grass. Alcohol is noticeable, even the hops slightly too. Complex, but not a chore to drink, enjoyable, even in a style I'm not too fond of usually. Even some wood and vanilla creep into the mouthfeel. Good meld going on.

Pouring a hazy, murky orange with a thick white head that falls off rather quickly leaving little lacing, this beer isn't particularly attractive. I shall cut it some slack 'cos I didn't really wait for the yeast to settle down after shipping, though. The nose is rather big and sweet with a moderate Belgian yeast character still present. A big, wet bourbon barrel character is present, lending massive vanilla and moderate coconut aromatics that complement the yeast notes quite well. The malt seems mildly doughy and biscuit-like (some Belgian pils?), not quite working but not failing either.

The palate is a little disappointing. Boozy, yes, mildly spicy (clove and allspice), but surprisingly tannic, with some barrel astringency present. The alcohol does singe the palate a bit too. The bourbon notes don't really work with the Belgian yeast. Vanilla from the bourbon does appear on the mid-palate. Moderately sweet with dough, honey and a little caramel, this beer dries on the finish, especially with the booze, leaving a blend of boozy astringency and moderate spice. Medium in body with a nice, creamy carbonation, this is nice on the palate (except for the finish). Solid stuff, this is quite nice IMO.

Drank this at BT, I believe it was the 5th sample, after BT, CR, CCR, and Loakal Red, and this beer still stood out, was multi-dimensional, just very nice.

Dark yellow, tan and orange, lush white head. Crisp light wood nose.

Great big light fruit (apple, pear, banana) come out in just a dollop with the alcohol and hops. Caramel, honey, whiskey. This is a really easy drinking and yet complex and yet big (without throwing its weight around) beer. White grape, slight vanilla, more wood, just heavier oak this time around. Never does any aspect of this beer come across heavy or unwilling to play nice with all the other flavor components. I'm really wondering how they do this.

Read in a few reviews where Curieux came up. This blows the doors off it IMHO.

750ml bottle shared with friends, drank from my Narke tulip...Pours a light dirty honey gold with decent retention, ok lacing...The aroma is strong, pears and apples with honey, oak and a lot of bourbon, probably a touch too much...The taste is lot more of the same, honey pears with a little funk a lot of bourbon, needs to be a little more muted but this is a decent combination. At 10% its pretty easy to drink, despite a slight hint of alcohol.

Thanks to stormking47 for this bottle: the description sounds like a beer that's in my Barry Bonds wheelhouse. 750 ML bottle split into two tulips.

Bottle pops mightily, but there's no evident over-carbonation: odd. Pours muddy orange, with tailings of evident debris lilting towards the bottom of the glass. Smell is complex to the point of knotted. Lots of fruitiness, especially pears, very vinuous (white) quality, tiny undertow of oak, spices, & vanilla. Intriguing. Not great, but intriguing.

Premiere has a certain 'kitchen sink' quality to it. The spicing is exponentially greater in the taste than the nose, & really get in your face. Plenty of light fruits, pear, green apple. Halfway through there's an Enola Gay explosion of sugary sweetness. Wood & vanilla are Quiet underneath the Riot.

This is a beer that suffers from too much complexity. The components are nice enough, but they don't really come together, instead waging brass-knuckles on one another. Good beer that might benefit from time for everything to make nice with one another.

Shared with speedwayjim, capra12, billyshears. Thanks to speedway for sharing!!!

a-Nice golden color with a thin head that didn't hang around long.
s-The overall consensus seemed to be some sort of appley vinegar. The alcohol was somewhat in your face.
t-Much like the nose apples n alcohol. Super hot but tasty BPA, all the usual suspects for a BPA are present in the flavor.
m/d-Light and easy drinker but way too hot for me. Glad I got to try it, but not something I would seek out with all the other great BPAs out there.

Pours a very hazy golden orange with a big bubbly beige head that recedes very slowly to a thin cap with some decent lacing.

Aroma is sweet and fruity with lots of pears and apples, a bit of candi sugar with a hefty barrel presence with oak, vanilla and bourbon.

The taste is even heavier on the oak and fruit. There is a fruity Belgian backbone with the apples and pears showing up. But they don't stand up as well as in the aroma and, in the finish, it's all about the bourbon, vanilla and oak.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with strong carbonation and I actually do get the alcohol prominently.

I like this beer but the drinkability is limited by the alcohol presence along with the huge sugar-coated fruit character. Find someone to split this bottle with.